On March 11 at 17:30, Splendid Palace Cinema in Riga will host the first European premiere of the documentary film Free to Rock, organised by the Foundation for an Open Society DOTS and the U.S. Embassy Riga. The film documents the role of rock music in ending the Cold War and features interviews with former Latvian President Vaira Vike-Freiberga, Saeima Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Ojārs Kalniņš, and musicians Pete Anderson and Valery Saifudinov. A discussion with the film producers Doug Yeager and Nick Binkley, Pete Anderson, and Ojārs Kalniņš, chaired by journalist Pauls Raudseps, will take place after the screening. Simultaneous translation from English to Latvian will be available.
From 1955-1991, rock ‘n’ roll music inspired underground rock bands and gained millions of supporters in the Soviet Union and Socialist bloc countries. Ideas of freedom of expression in rock music sparked a youth movement that subverted the Communist governments in Riga, Moscow, Berlin, St. Petersburg, Prague and Budapest, which contributed to the eventual collapse of the Soviet Union. The movie portrays the illegal smuggling of rock music records across the Baltic Sea, the story of The Revengers, the first Soviet rock band in Riga, and the DIY creation of electric rock guitars in Riga. Free to Rock investigates the idea of cultural diplomacy as a means to incite political change and features interviews with politicians, heads of state, musicians and civic activists from the former Soviet Union countries, Eastern Europe, and the United States.
“In a free and democratic society, people are free to choose which ideas to follow, what message to spread, and what music to listen to. Taking into account the warfare in nearby Ukraine, increased censorship for artists and musicians in Russia, and the ongoing information warfare, it’s important to remember the role that culture and music played during the Cold War and in the collapse of the communist regime. Rock music became the symbol of freedom, inspiring tens of thousands of people all over Eastern Europe who wanted to live in a free and democratic country,” states Ieva Morica, Executive Director at Foundation for an Open Society DOTS.
The documentary film Free to Rock is produced by the Grammy museum, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and the Stas Namin Center, with the support of the U.S. government, and is directed by the four-time Emmy-award winner, Jim Brown. The premiere of the documentary Free to Rock is organized by the Foundation for an Open Society DOTS in cooperation with the U.S. Embassy Riga, and with the support of the National Film Center of Latvia and Ministry of Culture.
The event is free of charge and tickets can be received by visiting www.fondsdots.lv or at the Splendid Palace Cinema box office. The screening will take place on March 11 at 17:30. The movie will be screened in English with Latvian subtitles. In honor of the screening, on March 11, at 21:00 Pete Anderson and his band The Swamp Shakers will perform at Latvian 1 Rock Cafe on Mārstaļu Street 2/4 in Old Riga. Entrance is free with movie ticket; regular entrance fee is 3 euros.
Irina Kuznecova
Program Director | Foundation for an Open Society DOTS
Mob.phone: +371 28252237
E-mail: irina.kuznecova@fondsdots.lv
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